Crab Plover

Crab Plover

(Dromas ardeola), a bird of the order Charadriiformes. The crab plover is the sole species of the family Dromadidae. The body reaches 40 cm in length; its plumage is white with black markings. The straight bill is flattened on the sides, and the legs are long. A good runner, the crab plover is also able to swim. It inhabits the western and northern shores and islands of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The bird lives in flocks and nests in colonial groups. One large white egg is laid in a deep burrow. The crab plover feeds on marine invertebrates, especially crabs.

Since both dromedaries and Bactrian camels are quite similar anatomically and have been used for the same purposes, documentary sources speak about Camellus, Camelus and Dromas without specifying which animal they refer to (Toynbee 1973; Kohler 1981).

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